Tasting notes • 05.14-10

Usually, the term "pick your poison" is an ironic reference to alcohol. And certainly most restaurants, haunted by fear of e-coli and even a bad review, would never want the word "poison" associated with their dining experience. French bistros probably even bristle at putting the Gallic word for fish — "les poissons" — on the menu for their unilingual diners misinterpreting.

So the Hotel St. Germain is major oddball here.

Uptown’s reigning oasis of French elegance is introducing an entire series of dinners, all themed around the idea of poison.

There will be no strychnine-laced flagons of wine on the menu, of course (unless, perhaps, you can’t pay your bill), merely five courses of French and Italian haute cuisine wine-paired and accompanied by archival documents about famous poisonings, anecdotes and a sense of mystery and fun.

Twisted Root Burger Co. started humbly in Deep Ellum before expanding to Far North Dallas, but now it’s pulling back a little closer to home — and courting SMU students. The sassy burger joint (which proudly displays flair including rainbow bumper stickers commanding to "Celebrate Diversity") has taken over the space next to the Across the Street Bar on Yale Boulevard. The menu is even more extensive than at the original locale, plus there’s tons of patio dining … and cute co-eds. We’re so there.

After the economic downturn, it seemed fewer restaurants were opening (and more closing) especially in the Downtown/Uptown area, but that’s changed just this month. In the last two weeks, Houston-based Perry’s Steakhouse and Fort Worth’s Eddie V’s Prime Seafood have moved into the gayborhood, with Perry’s on McKinney Avenue and Eddie V’s right on Cedar Springs. That’s a lot of new protein to check out. •

— Arnold Wayne Jones

Q CINEMA HOLDS DRAG PAGEANT

Just a few weeks before it airs the Southwest premiere of Dallas filmmaker Israel Luna’s festival hit Ticked-Off Trannies with Knives, Q Cinema will crown its own drag diva. Contestants in the Miss Q Cinema 3D Pageant, M.C.’d by TOTWK star Krystal Summers, will compete in four categories (presentation/Q&A, talent, evening wear and open mike) and will be judged by a celebrity panel of judges. And because it’s a fundraiser for a film fest, expect multi-media elements to help it earn its 3D moniker.